Follow up comments on the Smart Tabs. The tabs works great! they basically stopped the V Hull wander that you get when going through no wake zones and at the dock. They also get you up on plane faster and really allow the boat to turn sharper and more precise. They also have stopped the porposing that you can get when going down the lake at certain speeds. All in all I REALLY love the tabs and recommend them to anyone on the fence about them. They perform exactly as advertised. I have not once regretted the purchase and have nothing but good things to say about them!
Helpful tip. Before drilling any hole, make sure that you have enough room for the top bracket to be installed flat on the same surface as the bottom bracket. It might seem obvious that it would fit, but in boats, with a swim platform, the distance from the bottom to the top of the transom decreases as you get close to the end of the transom (port or starboard). Before drilling holes, assembly the entire tab mechanism (Tab, sockets, shock), place the low bracket in the intended position and then make sure the top bracket sits flush on the transom (also check the other tab can be installed on the opposite side exactly in the same position). I learned the hard way.
@JoshT well damm I wish I had seen this video/comment before hand lol what you end up doin to correct it? Top bracket of actuator on mine is not sitting flush it's on a rounded curved spot of the transom... Any help is greatly appreciated!
@@sayasane78 A heat gun might be able to soften the plastic enough so it contorts to the curve. I ended up moving the tabs a few inches towards the center of the transom where both bottom and top brackets sit flat on the same plane. To prevent water from leaking into the transom, I filled the holes with marine sealant 3M 5200 up to a quarter inch. Then I used fibreglass glazing putty to fill the rest of the hole. After sanding it flush, I painted and stuck a small piece of marine-grade Invincible decal (those decals are crazy sticky)...I know it seems too much but I don't want to ruin my transom for a silly mistake.
Yes, its the same boat. license plate of the trailer matches and I purchased it off consignment at gone fishing' marine in Dixon. The tabs have been leaking but the shop says i just need to back the screws out and use a better adhesive sealant. The family has really enjoyed the boat so far.
Awesome I am glad you are happy with the boat! I did use quite a bit of sealant (which was recommended for that application) however it is always unnerving to drill into your perfectly sealed boat! I thought it was funny that Mark said people thought that the boat did not have enough power to get out of the water and thus the tabs are needed. I had to laugh at that as anyone that says that really doesn't know how tabs work and the benefit of them. That boat has 220 hp from a V6 and has plenty of power. You can test what I am saying by pulling the tabs up to the locked up position and see how the boat will not come up to plane as fast without the tabs, you get the v-hull wander at low speeds, and the stability of turning in the boat without the tabs is much different. Thank you for buying our boat! I am happy to hear you are enjoying the boat, we had the best time owning it and really IMO took the absolute best care of it. We never had to worry if we were going to have issues with the boat anywhere we went. We also included a lot of gear with the boat, hopefully all of that was still in the boat when you purchased it. Besides the tabs we added the engine hour meter to be able to track the hours when the boat needed to come in for servicing (which Gone Fishin' did btw). If you are not feeling all that great about resealing the screws I am sure they can do it for you. If they do end up doing it for you make sure they add it to the same location so you still have the correct angle. I hope your family enjoys the boat as much as we did.
@@starwarsfanforlifeso I'm guessing the smart tabs made a huge difference as far as the boat's handling and ride comfort. I just installed a set of these on my old Mako. My boat is super stern heavy, so I'm praying these things pay for themselves. Lol
@@gcuervogold they did make a big difference! They especially helped with v hulk wander at no wake speeds and also helped with turning at higher speeds. They are worth the money!
Hello friend,in my lowly opinion the second fixing plate is buckled on the transom because your screws aren't straight. I can see they are angled in the way which puts an unwanted force pushing it in on itself. Working in engineering if your pilot hole pushes in on what you are clamping it will impart a stress force on that part,the more you tighten the worse it becomes. If your holes aren't straight it's better they point slightly away from the part. This of course is not with 2 inch stainless steel but a relatively "flimsy" plastic bracket so the bad angle is easily identified.
I’m scared water would get in transome after few years.,?? I’m scared to drill holes. I’m thinking putting a plate of aluminum. ?? 😮 and put foot step and ladder. I can hang a few things. And moter would be clamping it down also. Aluminum play on both sides. ?? 😮
Do they help balance out the boat better? I have a17ft Glastron and she will lean to one side pretty bad if i am off on my weight distribute with people on her. I know with hydraulic tabs you can do this. Just not sure on this type.
Jamal Brian Stevenson Well depending on what setting you set the struts to depends on the amount of lift for the transom. The harder the setting the more you scrub speed off of the top end. They are always "working" which makes these nice since you don't have to constantly adjust them...they just work. I used to get that severe lean or "tip in" when making sharp turns and they also helped with that. I honestly do not regret the purchase one bit!
Worked like a champ. I am glad I took the chance. I almost cut my fuel consumption in half. Thanks for posting your video. It was what pushed over the edge to try these.
That is great to hear...I am glad it helped you. That was the intent of the video. Did you notice how your boat actually TURNS sharper and more precise now? Also do wander at dock speeds and of course getting out of the water quicker?
Hello...it really was like a few drops that came out...but non the less it was unusual. I doubt I will have this boat that long so I should be good...thanks for watching the video and your comment.
Fiberglass boats have wood... in the stringers and transom and often the deck. You just don't see it because it is within the fiberglass. With some exceptions such as VEC hulls, fiberglass boats are fiberglass encapsulated wood. This is a major misconception of many boaters. Sadly, this likely means he has wood rot in his transom.
Follow up comments on the Smart Tabs.
The tabs works great! they basically stopped the V Hull wander that you get when going through no wake zones and at the dock. They also get you up on plane faster and really allow the boat to turn sharper and more precise. They also have stopped the porposing that you can get when going down the lake at certain speeds. All in all I REALLY love the tabs and recommend them to anyone on the fence about them. They perform exactly as advertised. I have not once regretted the purchase and have nothing but good things to say about them!
Helpful tip. Before drilling any hole, make sure that you have enough room for the top bracket to be installed flat on the same surface as the bottom bracket. It might seem obvious that it would fit, but in boats, with a swim platform, the distance from the bottom to the top of the transom decreases as you get close to the end of the transom (port or starboard). Before drilling holes, assembly the entire tab mechanism (Tab, sockets, shock), place the low bracket in the intended position and then make sure the top bracket sits flush on the transom (also check the other tab can be installed on the opposite side exactly in the same position). I learned the hard way.
@JoshT well damm I wish I had seen this video/comment before hand lol what you end up doin to correct it? Top bracket of actuator on mine is not sitting flush it's on a rounded curved spot of the transom... Any help is greatly appreciated!
@@sayasane78 A heat gun might be able to soften the plastic enough so it contorts to the curve. I ended up moving the tabs a few inches towards the center of the transom where both bottom and top brackets sit flat on the same plane. To prevent water from leaking into the transom, I filled the holes with marine sealant 3M 5200 up to a quarter inch. Then I used fibreglass glazing putty to fill the rest of the hole. After sanding it flush, I painted and stuck a small piece of marine-grade Invincible decal (those decals are crazy sticky)...I know it seems too much but I don't want to ruin my transom for a silly mistake.
They have a low profile kit with a 7.5" actuator to help with this now.
I own this boat now so I hope your work holds up! I've taken the boat out once and it handled very well.
luthyone Are you sure that you have my old boat? Where did you purchase it?
Yes, its the same boat. license plate of the trailer matches and I purchased it off consignment at gone fishing' marine in Dixon. The tabs have been leaking but the shop says i just need to back the screws out and use a better adhesive sealant. The family has really enjoyed the boat so far.
Awesome I am glad you are happy with the boat! I did use quite a bit of sealant (which was recommended for that application) however it is always unnerving to drill into your perfectly sealed boat! I thought it was funny that Mark said people thought that the boat did not have enough power to get out of the water and thus the tabs are needed. I had to laugh at that as anyone that says that really doesn't know how tabs work and the benefit of them. That boat has 220 hp from a V6 and has plenty of power. You can test what I am saying by pulling the tabs up to the locked up position and see how the boat will not come up to plane as fast without the tabs, you get the v-hull wander at low speeds, and the stability of turning in the boat without the tabs is much different. Thank you for buying our boat! I am happy to hear you are enjoying the boat, we had the best time owning it and really IMO took the absolute best care of it. We never had to worry if we were going to have issues with the boat anywhere we went. We also included a lot of gear with the boat, hopefully all of that was still in the boat when you purchased it. Besides the tabs we added the engine hour meter to be able to track the hours when the boat needed to come in for servicing (which Gone Fishin' did btw). If you are not feeling all that great about resealing the screws I am sure they can do it for you. If they do end up doing it for you make sure they add it to the same location so you still have the correct angle. I hope your family enjoys the boat as much as we did.
@@starwarsfanforlifeso I'm guessing the smart tabs made a huge difference as far as the boat's handling and ride comfort. I just installed a set of these on my old Mako. My boat is super stern heavy, so I'm praying these things pay for themselves. Lol
@@gcuervogold they did make a big difference! They especially helped with v hulk wander at no wake speeds and also helped with turning at higher speeds. They are worth the money!
Hello friend,in my lowly opinion the second fixing plate is buckled on the transom because your screws aren't straight. I can see they are angled in the way which puts an unwanted force pushing it in on itself. Working in engineering if your pilot hole pushes in on what you are clamping it will impart a stress force on that part,the more you tighten the worse it becomes. If your holes aren't straight it's better they point slightly away from the part. This of course is not with 2 inch stainless steel but a relatively "flimsy" plastic bracket so the bad angle is easily identified.
Update did it leak at all?
I’m scared water would get in transome after few years.,?? I’m scared to drill holes. I’m thinking putting a plate of aluminum. ?? 😮 and put foot step and ladder. I can hang a few things. And moter would be clamping it down also. Aluminum play on both sides. ?? 😮
how about following seas...i wana install this but worried about following seas...can trimming up the engine counter the tabs ?
Do they help balance out the boat better? I have a17ft Glastron and she will lean to one side pretty bad if i am off on my weight distribute with people on her. I know with hydraulic tabs you can do this. Just not sure on this type.
Jamal Brian Stevenson Well depending on what setting you set the struts to depends on the amount of lift for the transom. The harder the setting the more you scrub speed off of the top end. They are always "working" which makes these nice since you don't have to constantly adjust them...they just work. I used to get that severe lean or "tip in" when making sharp turns and they also helped with that. I honestly do not regret the purchase one bit!
Thanks for the reply. Just installed them last night on my glastron. Going to try them out today.
That's great! try different settings to see how they feel. I am sure you will like them...they do help out a lot.
Worked like a champ. I am glad I took the chance. I almost cut my fuel consumption in half. Thanks for posting your video. It was what pushed over the edge to try these.
That is great to hear...I am glad it helped you. That was the intent of the video. Did you notice how your boat actually TURNS sharper and more precise now? Also do wander at dock speeds and of course getting out of the water quicker?
Hello...it really was like a few drops that came out...but non the less it was unusual. I doubt I will have this boat that long so I should be good...thanks for watching the video and your comment.
If there is water in the transom, you have some major issues. Your gonna need to replace the transom wood eventually. 10-15yrs
Are these trim tabs made out of plastic?
Yes they are and they are VERY durable. You won't be disappointed.
@@starwarsfanforlife Made of T6-6 Nylon with impact resistant additive.
Replace the wood in the transom of a fiberglass boat??? Hmmmmmm
Fiberglass boats have wood... in the stringers and transom and often the deck. You just don't see it because it is within the fiberglass. With some exceptions such as VEC hulls, fiberglass boats are fiberglass encapsulated wood. This is a major misconception of many boaters. Sadly, this likely means he has wood rot in his transom.
Wet transom on a one year old boat? I would be calling tahoe and complaining. If it was wet after a year, your transom is probably rotten by now...